Finally
by AshleySue
Summary: What was going through Eric's mind when he finally regained his memories of the time he was cursed by Hallow?  One-shot.


**So, here's my newest brain child. It's just my guess at what was going through Eric's head when he regained his memories after the takeover by the vamps of Nevada. It's purely a one-shot, and I have no plans on expanding it. **

**So we're all on the same page, here's a recap. Victor Madden and several other vampires from Nevada showed up at Sookie's house, where Eric, Sookie, Bill and Amelia were gathered. They knew the takeover was imminent, because Frannie had arrived shortly beforehand with a warning from Quinn, who was with the Nevada vampires in his tiger-form.**

**The italicized beginning is taken directly from 'From Dead to Worse.' That being said, those words, and all these characters, are the property of Charlaine Harris. I'm just trying to understand them better.**

**A special thanks to my beta, Northwoman, who got this back to the in record time, even while recovering from vacation.**

_Eric was sitting on my bed, his face buried in his hands. He looked up at me as I entered, and he looked shocked. Well, no wonder, what with the very thorough takeover and traumatic changing of the guard._

"_Sitting here on your bed, smelling your scent," he said in a voice so low I had to strain to hear it. "Sookie…I remember everything."_

Eric slowly made his way down the hall from Sookie's bedroom to the living room. Before tonight, if he'd found himself having successfully survived a takeover, he'd be in a rush to return to Fangtasia to confer with Pam and his other underlings. But, after having _finally _recovered the memories of the time he was cursed, he wasn't quite acting like himself.

When he reached the living room he found Amelia lying on the couch, her arm covering her face. He cleared his throat to gently get her attention, noticing the stench of vomit lingering, when she softly gasped. He softened his features slightly, not wanting to scare her even more.

"I'm not the type to compliment humans, but I must say the wards you placed on this home were impressive. You have the potential to become a very formidable witch, one who I would be fortunate to consider as an ally."

Amelia was too shocked to respond, so after a moment of silence, Eric made his way to the front door. Halfway through, however, he paused and turned his head slightly to speak to her once again. "Make sure one of you rescinds Victor Madden's invitation before the night is over." Quinn had broken the door when he entered the house in tiger-form, so Eric shut it as best he could, and immediately took to the sky.

When he arrived at Fangtasia a short time later, he was glad to see the majority of his area vampires were still there. He assured them Felipe de Castro was indeed their new King, and instructed them to gather again at Fangtasia shortly after first dark the next evening. He asked Pam to stay the day in a spare room at his home since it was nearing dawn. On the way there, he filled her in on what had taken place at Sookie's house.

"There's something you're not telling me, Eric," Pam said as they made their way from the garage into his home. "I sense there is something you are holding back, and it is quite unlike you."

Eric, however, remained silent. He was not yet ready to tell his child he'd recovered his memories of the time he'd been cursed. Usually, he enjoyed discussing things with her. Having been together for so long, they thought very much alike. Yet, she had a way of looking at things from a slightly different angle, and normally he welcomed her input. But, not now. Not this. He needed to wrap his own head around it before he shared it with another.

Through the bond they shared, Pam could feel his turmoil. She knew at least a portion of it could be attributed to the evening's earlier events. She suspected the rest had to do with Sookie. Lately, Eric had been all too consumed with unfamiliar feelings where _she_ was concerned. Pam disliked seeing her maker so infatuated with a human. But, then again, Sookie was no mere human. She was rash, impulsive, and had a tendency to run from her problems. However, she was also brave, and loyal, both qualities that Pam admired. Not to mention, she _had _saved their lives. If not for Sookie, Pam was certain neither she nor Eric would've made it out of Rhodes. Against her better judgment, she bid him good day and went to seek her rest.

Eric began stripping his body of clothing, preparing to die for the day. As he lifted his shirt over his head, he caught the faintest scent of tiger clinging to it. Growling, he walked into the kitchen and threw it and his jeans into a trash bin, then made his way to his bathroom. He doubted Quinn's scent had gotten on his skin at all, but he wasn't willing to risk it.

He lathered his thick, long hair with shampoo, and then tilted his head underneath the shower spray to rinse. He closed his eyes as he did so, and was bombarded with images of himself and Sookie in a somewhat similar position. He remembered the way water had cascaded down her beautiful shoulders, and clung to the tips of her breasts; and the way goose bumps had appeared on her flesh at the stark contrast of the heated water and his cold touch.

He finished washing, dried himself and went into his bedroom. He sat down on the bed, sitting up with his pillows behind his back. He pulled his laptop off the nightstand and began his daily email of instructions for his day man, Bobby. He told him to contact all of Fangtasia's human staff to let them know the bar would be opening two hours later than usual for the coming night. He was also to post notice of this for customers. Eric was tempted to keep the bar closed for the night so he could take his time meeting with his area vampires, but, knew it would not be a good idea. If the new regime heard of it, they might think he was planning some sort of retaliation attack.

He ended the email with instructions for Bobby to burn the contents of the kitchen trash bin. Normally, he would take care of something like personally; however, he had no desire to get close enough to once again touch his tiger-scented clothing. Thinking of Quinn reminded him the stupid cat had broken the front screen door of Sookie's home. He briefly considered contacting Alcide Herveaux about replacing it. But, since Alcide was now packmaster of Shreveport, Eric was certain he wouldn't make it a high priority. Besides, since Alcide's girlfriend had been murdered, who's to say he wouldn't try and make another play for Sookie?

In the end, Eric picked a new door from Home Depot's website, and emailed the store's manager to ensure immediately delivery. He also made arrangements for her to have a new cell phone, since he'd personally crushed hers earlier in the evening. He regretted having to do it, but knew he couldn't risk Niall becoming involved in the situation.

When he'd completed his work, he put his laptop aside and laid down. Memories of his time with Sookie had been forcing themselves to the front of his mind while he'd been working, but he'd done his best to push them back. Now, however, he let them wash over him like an ocean wave. Sookie had previously told him they'd had quite a bit of sex while he was staying with her, and he hadn't doubted it. He'd known, as well, that the sex must've been incredible, considering how much they'd had in such a short time. Besides, he'd suspected for quite some time they would be genuinely amazing together in bed, considering the chemistry they shared; but it was nice to be proven right, anyway.

He would enjoy replaying in his mind all the different ways he'd taken her, but for now, he wanted to focus on something else. The night the patrons of Merlotte's had saved her from being killed by Charles Twining, she'd told him he'd been so much fun without his memory. When he asked why she didn't think he was fun normally, she'd simply said his life was too complicated. For the first time, he truly understood what she meant, and knew she was right. Recalling how they'd sat together in her living room watching that ridiculous Buffy television program, he couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed as easily. After they'd made love for the first time, they cuddled in her bed and just talked. It hadn't been about strategy, or planning, it was just simple conversation. He'd known  
>Sookie for almost two years now, and he couldn't remember her being as carefree, or even smiling as much as she had in those few days.<p>

He remembered telling her he would walk away from his position as Sheriff, get a job, and live with her. At the time, he had truly meant it. Looking back now, he knew Sookie had not taken the offer seriously. Maybe someday it would be possible, but not now. Their position was much too precarious. While most of the vampires in his area were strong, they would be no match against all the forces of their new King. Their loyalty to Eric was what allowed them to survive the night, and they each owed him their lives. He would not take their fealty for granted. If he were to walk away now, he knew several of his underlings would be killed. He may have been willing to risk his own life for Sookie, but he would not force the others to do so against their will.

Even though he knew his position as Sheriff had most likely saved his life this night, he cursed it all the same. Unfortunately, during times like these, his time was rarely his own. He knew it would take a fair amount of time to calm the fears of the other vampires in his area. And it would be even more time consuming to work with his new masters, and get a feel for the way his King would run the state. If it was as he suspected, Felipe de Castro would spend most of his time in Nevada, and have one of his underlings run Arkansas and Louisiana for him. The fact he did not even leave his home during the takeover solidified this theory. Eric could only hope it would not be Victor Madden he would answer to. Victor thought much too highly of himself, and took far too much pleasure in causing others pain - just for the hell of it.

What irritated Eric the most for now, however, was that it would most likely be several weeks before he had the opportunity to sit down with Sookie for an extended period of time. He'd already wanted to speak with her at length, so recovering his memories of their time together made that want grow exponentially. He'd not had the opportunity to truly explain the blood bond before everything fell apart in Rhodes. He also wanted to tell her about an interesting discovery he'd made. While he and Pam were recovering from their injuries in Rhodes, he'd spent countless hours going over Hallow's spell books, desperate to find the spell she'd forced on him.

When he found what he was looking for, he was filled with a profound relief. The spell would put Eric close to his heart's desire, without ever having realized it. The more he thought about it, the more he was both impressed and enraged by the cleverness of the spell. If Hallow and her coven had found him while he was still cursed, they most likely would've been able to drain him. But, even though they failed, it still left him broken. He'd gone back to the way he'd been, yet had changed all the same. He did not remember the moments he'd spent with what his heart desired most, but Sookie most assuredly did. He'd been forced to endure the knowledge he'd somehow caused her pain, but had no idea as to how, or why.

But, now he'd regained his memories of the time the witch had stolen from him, he found himself having a new sense of purpose. He would endeavor to do whatever it would take to show Sookie that she, her love, truly was his greatest desire. He would spend however long it took to convince her he was hers as well. He would work with his new rulers, and secure his position within their power structure. Then, his greatest battle would begin. He would fight until he'd won the heart of the human woman he now knew he truly loved.

He surrendered to the pull of the sun with more optimism than he had in decades.


End file.
